Matt Carthy
Question:59. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his plans for increasing the Garda training allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54039/25]
View answerThursday, 9 October 2025
Questions (59)
Written answers
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years, including changes to the Garda trainee allowance.
The Garda Trainee allowance increased from €305 to €354 per week with effect from 1 October 2024 and has increased by a total of €170 per week when compared with 2023.
Insofar as further increases to the allowance are concerned, these will be considered in the normal course in the context of the overall Garda recruitment situation.
The Deputy will also be aware that a Recruitment and Training Capacity Group was established in 2024 to support the achievement of increased recruitment.
The Group has now completed its work and its report has been published on my Department's website. Overall, the Group has concluded that the Government's recruitment plans are achievable but challenging.
The Group has recommended, inter alia, that research be conducted to gain further insights into the decision-making process of potential Garda recruits, to help inform further enhancements to the recruitment process. I expect that one of the issues that may be considered in this context is the Trainee allowance.